As the debate over gun control intensifies in the United States, work continues on an international treaty to regulate the global arms trade. On Monday, the United Nations General Assembly voted to reopen negotiations on the treaty. The United States dropped its opposition after stonewalling talks in July, a move that prompted critics to accuse President Obama of caving to congressional Republicans and the National Rifle Association in an...

CODEPINK protesters interrupted the National Rifle Association’s event on Friday as the group held its first press conference since the Newtown, CT, massacre. During comments made by NRACEO Wayne LaPierre, one protester held up a banner reading, “The NRA is killing our kids," then another stood up with a banner that read, "NRA: Blood On Your Hands."

The initial shock of the latest semiautomatic weapon-fueled massacre has passed, but the grief only grows. Since President Barack Obama took office, there have been at least 16 major mass shootings, after which he has offered somber words of condolence and called for national healing. But what is really needed is gun control, serious gun control – as was swiftly implemented in Australia in 1996, after another...

After losing both her father and her brother to gun violence in St. Louis and later being victimized by domestic violence, Goldie Taylor purchased a gun for her own protection. On Monday, three days after the Newtown massacre, Taylor wrote: "After my father and brother were murdered, owning a gun made me feel secure. Now it’s time to give it up." As President Obama vows new action on gun control, Taylor joins us to discuss her...

Democratic Rep. Carolyn McCarthy of New York lost her husband 19 years ago in the Long Island Rail Road massacre that killed six people. She has since become a leading advocate for gun control. With President Obama expected to announce that Vice President Joe Biden will head a new interagency task force on gun violence — and pro-gun politicians and lobbies largely silent five days after the Newtown massacre — we ask Rep. McCarthy...

Residents of Newtown, Connecticut, have begun holding the first of many funerals for the 26 victims killed in Friday’s shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School. On Monday, Noah Pozner and Jack Pinto — both six years old — were laid to rest in small caskets. In the aftermath of the Newtown massacre, a number of pro-gun lawmakers are now signaling a new willingness to soften their opposition to restrictions on weapons...

Since Friday’s mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, that left 27 dead — 20 children and seven adults — the National Rifle Association has been silent. The powerful lobbying organization has long pressured lawmakers to maintain easy access to firearms in the United States, prompting many to say the NRA is standing in the way of reform. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the NRA has spent more than $2.2 million...

In the wake of the Newtown killings that left 27 people dead on Friday, we go to another New Town — in Australia — the home of a mass shooting that killed 35 people in 1996. Just 12 days after what became known as the Port Arthur massacre, Australia’s government responded by announcing a bipartisan deal to enact gun control measures. There have been no mass killings since. We’re joined by Rebecca Peters, an...

We air an excerpt of an address by the legendary filmmaker Michael Moore delivered just hours after the Newtown massacre. Moore won an Academy Award for his 2002 documentary, "Bowling for Columbine," about gun violence in the United States. He discussed the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre at a New York City event on Friday night. Video courtesy of filmmaker Lorna Tucker. [includes rush transcript]

Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman spoke Saturday on Up With Chris Hayes about the role played by mental illness in attacks like the mass shooting Friday in Newtown, Connecticut and what society might endeavor to do differently to avoid these types of horrific attacks in the future. Click here to watch.